Announcement
by kcat1971
Summary: [Transitions Universe Story #4] Josh & Donna return from vacation. How will their friends react to their big announcement? (November 2006)
1. Chapter 1

Donna keeps squeezing my hand and smiling at me nervously. I grin back and ask her-

"Did you ever imagine?"

Something flashes in her eyes, a bit of embarrassment. I realize that I've seen this look before. She has imagined it. I just never realized. I'm discovering new things about my wife every day. It's like opening a gift. Amazing.

"You okay with this? We can bail if you want to."

She laughs and hits my arm and says-

"Sure, we can just bail on the President of the United States!"

For better or worse, we decided to tell the Bartlets about our marriage first. A bit of it was just good timing- our flight arrived back at National at 4 pm. That gave us enough time to drop our things off at the apartment, freshen up and get to the residence by 8. Once we are done there, we'll call our parents and tell them. We haven't decided who we are going to see this weekend for Thanksgiving. We are due back in the office tomorrow morning, so we'll share the news with everyone else then.

I took a chance yesterday and called the switchboard after hours. Just like he promised, I was put right through to President Bartlet. I'll admit I was both incredibly pleased and a little bit surprised. There have been times over the last 8 years where he has definitely been a father figure to me, but I've never forgot that he's the President and I've never been sure that I wasn't just projecting my own feelings.

He'd answered the call with a "Hey, kid, what can I do for you?" that made my heart swell and reassured me that his offer hadn't been just for professional purposes. Still, I stammered a bit when I'd asked him if he and Mrs. B were available to meet with Donna and I tonight about something personal. He'd paused for a moment, causing my heart to pound uncontrollably, then said "Oh! OH!" Like he'd realized something big was about to happen, then he'd said "Of course, son, we'll always make time for you." I'm not ashamed to admit that I got a bit teary and that I might possibly have something in my eye, just thinking about it now.


	2. Chapter 2

Josh just asked me if I wanted to bail on the President of the United States. I think what he really means is "Are you sure you don't want to tell your Mom first?" I think he likes my Mom better than I do- of course he doesn't know her as well. I'm not looking forward to tonight's conversation with my parents. I'm actually LESS nervous about telling the President.

"To answer your question, Josh, Yes, I have imagined it. I had a huge crush on you and a very active imagination! The first year in office I spent a lot of time imagining you declaring your undying love for me during a senior staff meeting and the President performing the ceremony in the rose garden." I'm blushing profusely. Even though I've given him my whole heart and I know he loves me completely there is still something slightly embarrassing about admitting a crush.

"What about the second year?" He asks.

"Oh by then I knew you much better. That year I fantasized about where to hide your body and whether anyone would really mind if I just took over your job."

He laughs out loud. One of my favorite sounds. We are both quiet for few minutes. I wonder if we are both thinking about the third year. That's when I knew that I loved him. Because you can get over a crush, but I wouldn't have survived if Josh Lyman had died.

Josh leans over, kisses me softly, and says: "Thank you."

"For what?" I ask, even though I know the answer. It's still nice to hear.

"For hiring yourself, for not letting all the times I was a jerk destroy your spirit, for saving my life, figuratively and literally. For loving me."

Then, because Josh is Josh he says-

"You know- I heard that the lemon-lyman fan club needs a new president!"

"What makes you think I wasn't already?!" I quip back.

He's grinning again as we pull up in front of the residence and it suddenly time to tell the leader of the free world that we eloped.


	3. Chapter 3

The steward shows us into the study and I'm suddenly very nervous. The Bartlets are sitting there looking very parental, and I feel like I'm getting called on the carpet for breaking curfew. I'm actually looking at my feet trying to decide how to begin this conversation when President Bartlet booms-

"Well, young man, what do you have to say for yourself?!"

I actually jump a little but when I look up he's smiling and his eyes are twinkling. I relax and grin back at him.

"Well, sir, Donna and I got married."

Mrs. Bartlet let's out a "whoop!" and envelops Donna in a big hug. President Bartlet stands up, reaches out and shakes my hand, then pulls me into a big hugs as well. He sounds very proud when he says-

"I always knew you were smarter than you looked."


	4. Chapter 4

Mrs. Bartlet ushers us into the sitting room where there is already a table with coffee and dessert. For a second I wonder why we were shown into the study first, then I realize that they were playing Josh. I love these people so much! I catch Mrs. Bartlet's eye and grin at her.

Before we sit down President Bartlet pulls me into a hug. "Donnatella, I am so happy for you." In that moment it occurs to me that Josh & President Bartlet are the only two people who say my name like that. I feel warm all over. It also occurs to me that he didn't say that he was happy that I'd keep Josh in line or make a comment about how lucky Josh was to have me- nothing about duty. Saying that he was happy for me shows that he knows that Josh is worth having and that having him makes me happy. How can I put into words what I owe this man? All I can do is whisper "Thank you, Mr. President."

"Sit, sit. Tell us all about it." Mrs. Bartlet always has a way of getting things back on track.


	5. Chapter 5

We are sitting on the sofa laughing about the luau. I've got my arm around Donna and it feels good. It's nice to be so relaxed and welcomed. Telling the Bartlets first had definitely been the right thing. Mrs. Bartlet catches my eye. I know she worries about the President's health. It's almost 10 o'clock and the day is catching up with us too.

"Well..." I start to get up.

"Just a second!" The President says- "Donna brought this lovely, shiny box with her and she set it on this table and its been tormenting me all evening."

Donna blushes. I swear to God its something I will never tire of. She's so beautiful. She picks up the box and says-

"Mr. President, I don't... I don't..." She bites down on her thumb, tears shining in her eyes. I give her hand a squeeze and try to give her some strength. She doesn't need me to rescue her.

She takes a deep breath.

"The day I heard you speak changed my whole life. Your words gave me the courage to leave a bad situation and the motivation to want to change the world. I owe you everything. I don't know how to to thank you. This gift seems kind of silly now that I think about it."

The President is looking at my wife in awe. I know the feeling. He gives her the universal Dad sign for "come here" and she is suddenly in his arms. He strokes her hair and says- "You changed your life. Never forget that." Then he says- "But can I please open my present?"

We all chuckle and Donna finally hands him the gift. He oohs and aahs appropriately and promises that he'll put the paperweight on his desk in the morning.

As we leave, I think to myself that I am the luckiest man in the world.


	6. Chapter 6

Its just about 10:30 when we get back to the apartment. We spent the ride back discussing whether we should go to Florida or Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. The thought of traveling again so soon isn't exactly appealing but we know that it's only going to get crazier from here on out and spending time with our families is only going to get more difficult. Josh's Mom wasn't really expecting him for Thanksgiving, especially since we just saw her at Leo's funeral. But I love her and I'd really like to tell her about the wedding in person. I know she's going to be so happy for us.

Yes, she's going to ask about children right away but we can handle it. After the luau I can't quite get the image of Josh with a curly-haired toddler out of my head anyway.

Josh thinks we should go visit my parents. I can't for the life of me figure out why he would pick them over his mom. I mean, yes, I had told them I was coming but they are used to me canceling. This is seems like a really easy decision.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm surprised that Donna wants to cancel on her parents and go visit my Mom instead. We just saw my Mom and she'd totally agree that we should go see Donna's parents. This seems like an easy decision.

I take a few minutes to think through what I know about Donna & her parents, and I suddenly realize its not much.

I know her Dad is Irish and her Mom is Italian. I met them for a few minutes during a campaign stop during the second election. They seemed like nice people. Donna's mom came to Germany but we didn't spend much time together. I had felt so bad for sending Donna to Gaza I didn't even know what to say to her Mom. She seemed to find Colin fairly charming, and they spent quite a bit of time together before he left. Shortly after her Mom arrived, Leo said he needed me back at work. I figured I'd see her more when Donna came home, but her Mom hadn't come back to Washington with her.

Maybe her parents really hate me. I mean- I'm Donna's slaving-driving boss that kept her from coming home for visits and I sent her on a trip that almost got her killed. Ditching them again doesn't really sound like a good way to try to change their opinion.

One thing I have learned this past year is that just because I think I've figured out what's bothering Donna doesn't mean I actually have. The other thing I've learned is that my plans tend to work out a lot better when I include Donna in the planning part. So I ask her-

"Do your parents really hate me? Is that why you don't want to go home?"

Donna looks me right in the eye and says-

"Home is where you are." My heart swells. Then she sighs and says-

" And Josh, it's not you they don't like." And my heart breaks. How can anyone not like Donna? Especially her own parents?

My eyes narrow. Maybe I should just give these people a call.

"Give me the phone."


	8. Chapter 8

I know that look in Josh's eyes. The last thing I'm going to let him do is call my parents.

"Hold on, there Rambo. I don't hate my parents, they don't hate me, and they don't hate you. Hate is a very strong emotion and we just don't really do those."

"Won't they be disappointed if you don't come home for Thanksgiving?" Josh inquires.

"My parents are used to me disappointing them, Josh." I close my eyes and roll my neck.

"College?" Josh hesitantly asks. I open my eyes and look at him. He's not going to like hearing this.

"My parents were perfectly fine with me dropping out of college. They would have been thrilled for me to be a Doctor's wife. What disappointed them was that I wasn't smart enough to get Dr. Freeride to marry me before I moved in with him. It's all about appearances Josh."

"Ah." He says- "So are they going to be mad about missing out on a Wedding? Your Dad not getting to walk his little girl down the aisle?" I close my eyes again.

"Josh, I haven't been his little girl since I was sixteen." Josh wraps his arms around me and rests his chin on my head. It feels nice.

"So, what do you want to do?" Josh asks after a few minutes. Being wrapped up in his arms has given me enough strength to make this call and I really just want to get it over with.

"I'll call them now. I'll give them a choice between us visiting this weekend or coming at Christmas. Don't worry Josh, this will all be very civilized."


	9. Chapter 9

"Hi Mom."

"No, nothing's wrong."

"Yes, I know its almost 11."

"Do you want me to call back tomorrow?"

I start to get up but Donna widens her eyes and tugs me back onto the couch.

"Well, I have some really exciting news." She's using her fake cheery voice.

"Josh and I just got back from Hawaii."

She pauses a few minutes then speaks more sharply-

"No, he's not my boss. You know that."

She tries the cheery voice again-

"Well, now he's my husband! We eloped. Surprise!"

She squeezes her eyes shut and drops her head on the back of the couch.

"No. I'm not pregnant."

With that I grab the phone. Simply put, I've had enough. I'm a politican. I have a fake happy voice too.

"Mrs. Moss- it's so nice to talk to you again."

"Oh! Josh. Congratulations." Donna's Mom also has a fake happy voice and frankly its a bit disconcerting that it sounds exactly like Donna's.

"Thank you. We are very happy. We'd love to come visit and show you the photos and tell you all about it. Of course, we also want to visit my Mom. So I was just wondering- would you rather we came for Thanksgiving or Christmas?"

Donna's mom lets out a little huff. I smirk. I've heard this exact huff many times from her daughter over the years. It's the huff she makes when she doesn't like her choices.

"Oh Josh, you know, this is so last minute- our Thanksgiving plans are set. We'd love to have you two for Christmas." Donna's Mom is apparently a politican as well. But I'm confident I can take her.

"Sounds wonderful M'am." Yes, I just did that.

"Donna will email some pictures. Have a good night."

"Good night Josh" Mrs. Moss says and then hangs up.

Donna's head is still back against the couch, her eyes are still closed, and my heart breaks just a little more when I see the tears slowly leaking out of the corners. I pull her back into my arms.

"Good news, sweetheart" I tell her, "we can go to my Mom's for Thanksgiving.


	10. Chapter 10

[Wednesday Morning]

We walk into the transition office at 7:30 am and find it mostly empty. Sam is sitting behind Josh's desk reading something. Josh looks at me with a twinkle in his eye and says-

"Let's have some fun." I giggle- he can be diabolical. He strides into his office.

"SAM! I'M GONE A WEEK AND SUDDENLY NO ONE COMES TO WORK ANYMORE?!"

"Josh-" Sam groans before he looks up to see us both smiling at him. Suddenly Sam grins too. He comes around the desk to hug me.

"Donna! You're a sight for sore eyes. You look fabulous!"

"Hey!" Josh growls "Hands off my wife!"

Sam's head whips around and he exclaims "What?!"

I laugh and hold out my hand.

"Thanks Sam. That vacation. Best. idea. ever."

Sam gets a bit misty-eyed and hugs me again. Then he let's go and hugs Josh.

"Oh man. Finally! I am so happy for you guys."

Josh pounds Sam on the back and says-

"Really, man. Thanks for insisting I go. We're going to make a great team again."

Sam fills us in on what we've missed around the office. Josh is surprised to learn that Arnold Vinick has been offered and accepted the Secretary of State position but he quickly sees what a good strategy it is. He's not thrilled to hear how much Amy has been around, but Sam seems to have things in hand. I'm glad to hear that Helen and the kids are still in town. I'd expected them to be in Houston by now. Apparently, they've really taken to President Bartlet and he asked them to help pardon the turkey.

Josh calls over to Blair House and finds out that the President-Elect and Mrs Santos are still having breakfast with the children so he arranges for us to meet all together there. I'm glad I brought the gifts for the children with me this morning.


	11. Chapter 11

We are shown into kitchen where we find the President-Elect rinsing off dishes and handing them to Mrs. Santos to put into the dishwasher. They are laughing about something then he flicks water at her with his hand. It occurs to me that, in that moment, he is Matt Santos, not the President-Elect. I'm really glad we are having this conversation away from the office, and I make the conscientious choice to call him Matt for only the second time since I've known him.

"Josh! Donna! Welcome back!" Matt booms.

"Matt, Helen- we have some exciting news." Matt grins in acknowledgment of his given name.

Donna holds her hand up, and Helen immediately squeals. This woman sign language thing is something I've never appreciated until now.

"Have you set a date?" Helen asks.

"Well, actually, we eloped last week." Donna replies.

"How romantic..." Helen sighs.

"Well, well, chicken-fighter, I think you lied to me." Matt interupts. Donna blushes. I raise my eyebrows and look back and forth between them hoping some one will explain it to me. Matt shoots a wink at me, then looks at Donna.

"Did I or did I not ask you if Josh was having any fun?" Matt interogates her.

"You did, sir."

"Did I or did I not ask you if he was seeing anyone?"

At this Helen smacks him on the arm, "You didn't."

Donna has her gumption back and shoots back at Matt-

"I also seem to recall you telling me not to tell him that you asked!"

Matt laughs. Just then Peter and Miranda run into the kitchen announcing that their teeth have been brushed. Helen informs them that "Mrs. Lyman" has presents for them and moves us all toward the living room. I definitely like hearing Donna called Mrs. Lyman.

Matt grabs my arm and holds me back a second, then says-

"So Josh, are you having any fun?"

I grin and say:

"Yes, sir. I'm having quite a lot of fun."


	12. Chapter 12

Peter and Miranda tear open their gifts with gusto. Peter immediately starts to read his book about whales, while Miranda hugs her dolphin. Helen gives them a second then softly says "What do you say?"

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Lyman!" They shout together. Matt makes a motion with his hand and the kids grab the wrapping paper and throw it away, then head back to their rooms.

Josh is impressed. "How did you do that?!"

Matt laughs again. "Dad's have sign language too, Josh. Don't worry, I'll teach you."

Helen smacks him on the arm again at the implication that I might already be expecting. I chuckle a little.

"That's the problem with eloping." I say-

"People immediately wonder if you got knocked up."

"Oh, we didn't..." Helen trails off.

"My mother did."

"Ouch." Matt says sympathetically.

"Do you want to tell us about it?" Helen asks.

I'm not sure if she's asking if I want to talk about my relationship with my Mother or the Wedding, but I'm going to assume the latter.

"Well, let me start by making it clear, that I am not, in fact, pregnant." Everyone snickers.

"I think you both know that Josh and I met during President Bartlet's first campaign." They both nod.

"After the campaign, I was Josh's assistant for seven years. I had a massive crush on him." I blush and Helen sighs.

"Nothing inappropriate ever happened while I worked for him. A year ago, I left the White House and joined the Russell campaign."

"You know about that..."Matt grumbles until Helen smacks him in the arm again.

"Believe me, no one is happier than I am that you won, sir." I grin at him. I take a deep breath and continue-

"In fact," I start blushing again, "it was the day that you tied Vinick in the polls..."

"Donna!" Now Josh is blushing too.

"Maybe you just wanna tell them about the wedding?" But then Josh looks at his watch and frowns a little. He is definitely more happy and relaxed than he has been in years but that doesn't mean he's completely forgot about his responsibilities.

"It was beautiful and we are very happy." I say.

Helen looks perplexed. Matt laughs and says-

"Well, that was brief and to the point."

I smile at him. "Perhaps I can give your lovely wife the details, while you take my husband to the office now so he doesn't stay too late tonight?"

Josh beams at me. Matt chuckles and says-

"Excellent idea. Josh you are a very lucky man."

"Yes, I am." Josh says and leans over and gives me a long kiss. Good thing the kids aren't in the room anymore. When he pulls away I'm a little disoriented, but I notice Helen smiling and Matt smirking.

"Come on, Josh. We'd better go." Matt leads him out of the room.

I sigh and Helen says-

"I'll get us some coffee."

I settle back into the couch and watch Helen pour the coffee. She's grinning when she comes back and sits across from me.

"Okay. Dish." She says, "And start with the day we tied Vinick in the polls." She's grinning in anticipation. I think back to our conversation last week when Helen offered me the job- she's right. I think we'll be friends. And you know, I think I need a friend too.


	13. Chapter 13

I flop down in the chair in front of CJ's desk and grin at her. She's supposed to give me a Kazakhstan briefing but I think she's about to be distracted.

"Mi Amore, vacation agrees with you."

"yeah, about that," I smirk at her, "you know how you said that you should always be our first call?"

"Oh god. What did you do, Idiot Boy?"

"Well, I took Donna with me and something happened."

"You didn't knock her up did you?!"

"I'm working on it..." I mumble.  
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" CJ says sharply.

Anger shoots through me. Dammit. CJ is supposed to be my friend. Donna's friend. With friends like this. . . I give her a glare and start to get up but she burts out laughing.

"God. You are still too easy. Guess that vacation didn't fix all your problems." She laughs some more.

"Silly boy. I already knew Donna went with you. She'd been staying with me, remember?"

"Well she isn't going to be staying with you any more!"

"Really?" She drawls, looking pointedly at my left hand.

"Joshua Lyman, as I live and breathe! Did you marry that girl?"

"Yes. Yes, I did." I grin back at her.

"Well, I'll hand it to you. When the two of you finally figured it out, you didn't mess around."

"So you aren't mad at us?"

"God, Josh, no. I'm thrilled. O.k., now- I'm going to need some details." CJ says as she pulls an old spiral notebook out of her drawer.

"CJ, what's that?"

"It's the office pool, you Idiot."


	14. Chapter 14

I smile at Helen.

"The day we tied Vinick in the polls, was the day of our first kiss."

"No. Way." Helen sits up straighter. "You're kidding."

"Well, I'm mean our first real kiss. uh, you know." I'm blushing furiously. I'm not really embarrassed. Damn alabaster skin.

"You really never kissed before that?"

"Well, an occasional peck on the cheek, or a forehead kiss. You know, platonic."

"Well, except for that fact that you had a huge crush on him."

"Well, yeah."

Helen sighs. "It's so obvious that he's mad about you. I really don't see how this didn't happen sooner."

I pause for a moment considering just how close of a friend Helen might become. The bottom line is that she's not exactly my best friend yet, even though I think we'll become very close. I have thought quite a lot about why Josh and I didn't happen sooner, but I don't think I need to share those thoughts with my boss, his bosses' wife.

"We are still working that part out ourselves." I say and she sighs again. Helen is definitely a romantic at heart.

"So," she asks, "was it spectacular? Everything you ever imagined?"

"Yes" I smile softly, touching my lips. "Until your husband and his merry band of campaign workers burst into the room!" I laugh.

"Seriously? You two just can not catch a break."

"Oh... it get's worse."

"No. . . " she says, clearly into my story.

"So after the kiss, we were all heading out to a rally. Things between us seemed a little awkward, but that's actually pretty normal for us. But then, Josh starts rambling on that our kiss was inappropriate and he was sorry."

"Oh my god." Helen exclaims "What did you say?"

"Well, I'll tell you- at first I had this shooting pain." My hand hovers over my heart. " I mean here we shared this spectacular kiss, finally! And all morning I'd been thinking about what would happen next, and he apparently regrets the whole thing?! Frankly, then I got a little pissed off."

Helen is nodding her head encouragingly.

"But for the last year my mantra has been 'I am a strong, professional woman and I don't need Josh Lyman to love me.' "

Helen's eyes bug out. I burst out laughing at the look on her face.

"Well, yeah, obviously I was wrong about that."

She bursts out laughing too.

"So anyway. I tried to be blase about it. I told him that it was not a big deal, you know bound to happen someday. And I kept chanting my mantra to myself. But all day long Josh kept giving me these looks, like he really wanted to kiss me again. Then we all got called to the White House and I had a chance to ask my friend, Will, whether he thought it was inappropriate."

"Will, as in Russell's campaign manager?"

"Yes, we're friends."

"I really don't understand politics." Helen shakes her head. And I smile and pat her hand.

"It's o.k. I'll help you sort it out." Then I laugh and say "Well that is if you still think I'm competent after I finish this story!"

She laughs and motions for me to continue.

"So I was trying to be all subtle with Will and not give away that I was talking about Josh. I mean, I've never told anyone that I like Josh." Helen rolls her eyes at this but I plow on with my story.

"But Will was blunt- 'You're talking about Josh- it's totally obvious.' So I asked him, how he knew that? So then Will reminded me that he was there the night Josh threw snowballs at my window. And then . . . "

"Hold on." Helen interrupts. "Josh threw snowballs at your window?"

So I tell her the story. And she sighs again, with a dreamy look on her face. It is pretty romantic. I mean what girl doesn't dream about getting whisked away to a ball?

"Wait." Helen says, "that was almost 4 years ago. After that you still didn't kiss until 2 months ago?"

I shake my head. "Yeah, we're a little . . ." I laugh a bit. "Let me get back to more recent history. So Will told me that it wasn't inappropriate to kiss Josh. So then I decided that you know, I am a strong, professional woman. And I don't need Josh to love me, but damn it, I'd really like to jump his bones before I die."

Helen snorts.

"So that night we were all having drinks in the lobby and I slipped him my room key."

"You go, girl" Helen cheers. Then she says- "you know, I wish we had some wine."

I glance at my watch.

"Helen, its like quarter to 9 in the morning."

"Yeah," she sighs. She really does need a friend.

"I'll tell you what. After inauguration, sometime we'll get several bottles of wine and I'll tell you about our time in the White House." She perks up.

"So" she says- "the sex was obviously fantastic."

"OH! We didn't have sex that night." I laugh. "He bungled the key exchange."

"You've got to be kidding me?!"

"Nope." I can giggle about it now.

"So . . . " Helen prods me to continue.

"Well, I went back to my room and cleaned out my mini-bar while chanting my mantra. The rest of the campaign was so crazy. But working like that helped us get back a lot of what makes us, us. And the sexual tension just kept building. Then finally the night before the election everyone started pairing off and suddenly Josh and I were alone in the bar. And then he followed me back to my room."

My voice drops to a whisper. " The sex was mind-blowing." I'm blushing furiously again.

"Last week when Matt asked me about Josh's personal life, I wasn't really sure if we were going to have a relationship or just sex. I certainly didn't want to tell Matt about that! Then Sam forced Josh to take a vacation. Thank God you and Matt were on board with that." Helen smiles at me. I think Matt and I are even now.

I continue-

"Josh had been thinking about a relationship more than I realized. Not only did he surprise me with the trip. He ended up proposing on the plane! Then he suggested we get married as soon as we got there."

"That doesn't sound very romantic." Helen says.

"Oh," I sigh, "It was the most romantic thing ever. He went all out for the wedding. He planned it all by himself," Helen raises her eyebrows and I giggle. "Ok he had help from the concierge and the hotel specialized in destination weddings, but he did make it all happen. There were candles and roses and a Hawaiian sunset." Helen sighs again.

"Do you have pictures?"

"Oh, duh." I pull the album out of my bag. I got so caught up in telling her about how we got to this point I forgot I had photos! That was another great thing about getting married the first day of the trip. The wedding photos were actually ready for us before we left.

Helen finishes looking at the album and smiles at me.

"You know, I didn't really like Josh at first. But I think I could be friends with your husband."


	15. Chapter 15

"So CJ, how long has this pool been running?"

"Well, after Donna left and then came back, there were various bets during the first campaign about whether you would hook-up before or after the election. I'm pretty sure that the President lost money on that one, I know I did."

I roll my eyes at her. She pauses and looks at me carefully, wondering how careful she has to be of her answer.

"This pool started after Rosslyn. The first bets had you proposing by that Christmas. The President lost money on that one too."

"After the second inaugural ball, there was a whole new round of betting. Will grabbed the earliest available proposal date and had you down for a summer wedding. Toby had you proposing the minute after Bartlet left office."

"So who won the pool?"

CJ flips through the book and I can see that there are lots of lines crossed out in red. When she looks up her eyes are a little misty and she gives me a sad smile.

"Leo."

I'm stunned. Leo actually bet that Donna and I would get married? CJ laughs at the look on my face.

"Idiot Boy- the President and Leo have been rooting for the two of you for years. I am truly amazed that they didn't actually try to help it along. I think Abbey had them on a very short leash. She said these things have to develop in their own time or they won't last."

"What about you?"

CJ looks at me funny again. She's probably wondering what I know about her advice to Donna before the CODEL.

"After you didn't hook up during the campaign, I really did think that it was Big Brotherly/Friendship on your side with a Massive Crush on her side. When you rushed to Germany was the first time I thought that it might be more on your side, but even then I wasn't really sure. I had never bet on you getting married until a couple months ago."

"What changed?"

"Leo came in and got new dates a couple months ago. I teased him about having insider information since he was on the campaign trail with you. I'll never forget what Leo said. He said ' CJ- you don't see how he looks at her. She's going to be standing right next to him when the election is called. It's not going to be some flashy proposal, he's just going to whisper in her ear because he's not going to be able to help himself. He won't let her go again. And if he doesn't I'm going to knock their heads together at Thanksgiving.'" CJ laughs. "So I took the Sunday after Thanksgiving for the proposal."

"He was so close to right CJ. If he hadn't died, it could have happened just like that. It wasn't a flashy proposal. When she agreed to go with me on vacation, I did start to think about romantic ways to propose. But when we woke up next to each other on the plane, I just couldn't help myself. I just wanted to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Josh, you know, you really are a very sweet man."

"So what about the wedding date? Leo get that one right too?"

"Actually, no. He picked New Year's Eve. Charlie got it closest. He picked Christmas eve. And get this- he picked it 4 years ago!'

She hands me a thick envelope. "You want to give Charlie his winnings?"

"I sure do! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy."

"What about Leo's?"

I put my hand over my heart and feel it steadily beating and I know exactly what to do with the money.

"Donate it to the America Heart Association."


	16. Chapter 16

A small crowd has gathered around my desk in the transition office. Ronna is looking through the wedding photo album while I tell her about the sight-seeing. Brahm and Otto are standing behind her looking over her shoulder at the album. Brahm has a slight smirk on his face but Otto just keeps muttering "I don't understand."

I decide to blow his mind further and pull out my phone and show him the hula video. We are all laughing hysterically when I hear an "ah em" from the doorway.

"Speak of the devil" I greet Josh. Poor Otto looks up in terror.

I look from Josh to Otto and give him the "fix this' look. This kid is a good writer and he'll be an asset to the administration, but he can't live in fear of Josh. None of us feared Leo- we just had a healthy respect for him. We could laugh and joke with him but he knew when and how to reign us in. I know Josh can find that balance too. Josh smiles at me and I know we are in sync.

Josh walks up to the group and says-

"I know you all probably find this hard to believe but the guy in the grass skirt is closer to the real me than the guy who screamed at Otto for no good reason last week."

Then he looks Otto right in the eye and says:

"I am truly sorry. No matter how much stress I was under its no excuse for losing my temper like that."

"It's okay." Otto stammers.

Josh goes on-

"So, no offense, Otto, but you just aren't going to work out as my assistant. I'm putting you in Communications- I hear they have a big speech to write and I think you'll be a big help. We'll sit down with Lou and figure out the exact title later. Okay?"

Otto gives Josh a genuine smile and confidently says

"Yes. That sounds great."

"Brahm- we are going to need you in operations. Sam will sit down with you next week and go over the details."

Brahm offers Josh a handshake.

"Thanks, Josh. And Congratulations on your marriage. It agrees with you."

Josh grins at his staff. Then gets a mischievous look in his eye. Oh no. That look usually means trouble for me.

"So," he says, "Do you guys golf? Because I'm thinking about starting an annual staff golf outing next Spring."


	17. Chapter 17

Around lunchtime, I head back over to the West Wing to find Charlie. Sure enough I find him in his office with his head down reading some briefing memo. I take a moment to study him. He sure has come a long way from that kid I interviewed 6 years ago. Watching him grow from nervous kid to confident young man has been one of the best things about the Bartlet Administration. I knock on the door frame.

"Hey Charlie- got a minute?"

"Hey Josh. Sure what's up?"

"Congratulations." I hand him the envelope.

"Hello?" He questions in a confused voice.

"You won the office pool."

"Which one?"

I smile at him for a moment and let it sink in.

"Really?"

"Yes. We eloped last week."

"Oh man. This is great. Oh man. If you hurt her, I'll kill you. You know that, right?"

What?! I need a minute to process this. First, it's MY job to kill anyone who hurts Donna. Second, I didn't realize that he and Donna were that close. Third, I don't think he's ever threatened me. In fact, it sort of seems like he's always idolized me. I guess everyone around here really is growing up. Finally, I realize he's looking at me for a response.

"um, okay."

Just then Donna shows up. Charlie's face lights up and he envelopes her in a big hug.

"So I guess he made you an okay offer after all?"

"Yes, Charlie. I knew Josh would come through."

"Just remember, I can still round up some guys from the old neighborhood if you need me to."

Donna laughs but I'm starting to get a little nervous. I think its time to change the topic.

"So Charlie, why'd you pick Christmas eve and how'd you manage to get so close four years ago?"

"Well after the Inauguration Ball I figured it was a done deal. But I though you'd want to wait to make it official until the Administration was over so that you'd be able to keep working together. I thought you'd fly under the radar as much as possible but I figured you'd end up with a big wedding. I didn't think anyone would have a big DC wedding during a Presidential Election. I guess Ellie proved me wrong on that. So, I was thinking that Christmas is far enough after the election that things would have settled down. And Donna loves Christmas. And since Christmas eve fell on a Sunday and it would probably be a Jewish ceremony- it just seemed like the perfect date. Plus it's easier to take a honeymoon between Christmas and New Year's."

"Wow, Charlie. You really gave that a lot of thought."

"I told you, Josh. I've got some game. But I don't understand. If you eloped last week, how did I win with my Christmas eve date?"

" You were still the closest. People who picked dates four years ago either didn't have us making it this long or picked dates after the Administration was over. And most of the people who were betting on us recently guessed that we'd go for the big summer wedding. Turns out you and Leo think alike," Charlie smiles softly "he tried to pick the Christmas eve wedding but you beat him to it, so he picked New Year's eve. He was closest on the proposal though."

"So Charlie, what are you going to do with your winnings?" Donna asks.

"I'm saving up for a ring of my own."


	18. Chapter 18

Josh & I are walking hand in hand toward the Mess. I'm still smiling over Charlie's plan. Save everything he can so that he can propose as soon as he finishes law school. Even though he won't be in the White House, we'll still be able to see him frequently if he's at Georgetown, which I have no doubt he'll get into. I feel a little pang of envy. I'd still like to get a degree myself. I wonder if there will be enough time with my new job.

I look over at Josh. He's smiling too.

"Are you smiling about Charlie? I ask him.

"No. I'm holding your hand in the White House and I'm planning on kissing you in the Mess."

I'm meeting Margaret, Ginger, Bonnie & Carol for lunch and Josh has decided that actions speak louder than words. His plan is to let the Sisterhood "accidentally" see a goodbye kiss then grill me for the details. It's not a bad plan. But, I suspect Margaret already knows after Josh's meeting with CJ.

We stop outside the Mess and I can see the Sisterhood through the window that bears the Presidential Seal. Suddenly Josh grabs me around the waist and hauls me close to him. I thought this plan was going to involve a quick peck on the lips but he's kissing me senseless. I melt into him. I don't care where we are right now. I don't want him to ever stop.

Someone nearby says-

"Get a room!"

Josh slowly breaks the kiss. And we both look over at the voice. I barely register Ed and Larry standing there with their mouths hanging open. Josh grins at them until they walk away whispering to themselves.

I'm still standing here in a daze when Josh says-

"It only took me 7 years to kiss you speechless in the White House. Wanna go down to my old office later?"

That wakes me up.

"Josh!" I smack his arm but smile up at him. It's not like I don't have fantasies involving his old desk too.

I look through the window and see that we have a larger audience than we intended. I hope there are no reporters in there. Suddenly the room breaks into applause. I blush, but Josh grins. Just what his ego needed.

We step away from the window and I give him a little smack on the ass.

"You'd better go meet Danny and work on that official announcement because if you keep pulling stunts like that your Mom is going to hear about it on the news instead of in person."

Josh gives me a small kiss, the one I had been expecting earlier, and says

"Yes dear. You'd better go- the Sisterhood awaits."


	19. Chapter 19

I walk away from Donna whistling to myself. I don't plan on making a habit of kissing her like that while we are in the building- but it definitely did need to happen at least once and transition is probably a better time than once the Santos Administration begins.

I send Danny a quick text to let him know that I'll be a few minutes late for lunch and head toward the bullpen. Given that display, maybe I'd better have a quick chat with Will since he's pulling double duty as Communications Director and Press Secretary.

On the way to Will's office, I see Ed and Larry in the Roosevelt room eating lunch together. Are they ever apart? Who cares. I poke my head into the room.

"Hey Guys- I need a briefing memo on marriage law in Hawaii."

They look at each other confused for a second. But then Larry says-

"Alright. When do you need it?"

Have they forgotten that I'm not really their boss anymore? These guys are a little strange.

"Just kidding. I'm already familiar with the law. Donna and I got married there last week."

Larry lets out a low whistle and says "about time." While Ed says "Congratulations!"

With that, I continue on to Will's office.

His door is closed so I rap loudly.

"Come in!"

I open the door and walk in to find Will on the phone. He looks surprised to see me. I wonder if he thinks I'm here to offer him a job. I contemplate that for a minute. I remember Will's first days here. It couldn't have been easy stepping into Sam's shoes. He did a good job and he's generally a good guy. And there is no doubt that he's an upand coming player in the Democratic Party. He was just following the party line trying to get Russell the nomination. Realistically, the party wouldn't have held it against him if Russell had got the nomination but lost in the general. If I'd lost the general election after taking the nomination, I think my career in politics would be over. Six months ago that thought made me nauseous. But now I can think of other things I might do when this is over. I smile to myself.

Will hangs up the phone and looks at me expectantly.

"What can I do for you?"

"I just want to give you a heads up in case you get a question in your next briefing."

"okay."

"Donna & I eloped last week."

"Damn, you couldn't wait until summer? I sure have lost a lot of money on the two of you!"

I laugh at him.

"Sorry. I think we waited long enough."

"No kidding. I gotta tell you, when the she joined the Russell campaign the thought crossed my mind . . ."

I glower at him and he quickly backtracks.

"But it took about 15 seconds to see that she was still desperately in love with you and trying to figure out what to do about it."

I continue to glower at him.

"Hey I'm in a relationship! You and Donna are meant to be. Please stop looking at me like that."

I take a deep breath and rake my hands through my hair. Do I really feel jealous of Will? No. I do not. I take a another deep breath.

"So out of curiosity," Will asks, "Why might I get a question about you in the next briefing?"

I grin sheepishly and shrug my shoulders.

"I may have kissed her rather passionately in the Mess and I'm not really sure who might have seen it."

Will groans softly.

"Really. Eight years of waiting and you decide to go public on my watch?"

I shrug again.

"So are you looking for an official White House statement here or what?"

"Actually no. We'd prefer the standard 'the White House does not comment on the personal life of staff or even former staffers.' But off the record, you can tell them we eloped last week and that Donna has pictures if they want to see them."

"Hey! I want to see them!"

"I'll let Donna know. We'll be around until about seven if you want to stop by the transition office."

As I'm leaving I stop in the door way and turn back to him.

"You know, Will, you're alright."


	20. Chapter 20

I take a few minutes to compose myself before entering the mess. By the time I walk through the door everyone has gone back to their lunches. Bonnie, Ginger, Margaret and Carol have their heads together and are whispering fiercely. I take the opportunity to slip through the line and get a salad.

When I arrive at the table and say "Hey Girls" their heads all snap up and they grin like maniacs. Ginger lets out a wolf-like whistle and everyone in the mess looks over at us. I turn red again. Margaret looks around and shakes her head.

"Grab your salads, girls. This isn't going to work. We need some privacy."

We all follow Margaret out of the mess and down the hall toward the bullpen. She leads us into a small empty office. I'm a bit surprised. When I was here there was never an empty West Wing office for long. But I guess with the Administration winding down not all jobs are getting filled and people don't want to move offices for just a few weeks.

We sit down and they all look at me expectantly. I'm not sure where to start. Finally, Ginger says-

"So were you sleeping together all along or not?!"

Well I guess we are jumping to the chase. Ginger always has been the blunt one.

"NOT!" I laugh. "I've told you that before!" I've answered that question somewhere between 2 and a dozen times every year of the Bartlet Administration.

"I know but if you were having a secret affair you couldn't have told us." Bonnie says practically.  
"And since it doesn't seem to be a secret now- you could tell us if you were then."

"Well I knew they weren't" Margaret says.

"There was way too much sexual tension between the two of them. We would have known if they had acted on it. Just look at them. They are both practically glowing now."

I keep looking around at all of them. It feels like they've been having this conversation for years and I'm not sure I even need to be a part of it now. I use the opportunity to eat a few bites of my salad before I decide to contribute to the conversation and remind them that a. I"m still here and b. I haven't actually told them anything yet.

"I'll be sure to tell Josh you said he's glowing. He'll love that." I say it a bit sarcastically to maintain Josh's image but truthfully, he actually will love it. He's happy that people can tell he's happy.

"Well I'm just glad you waited until you left the White House." Carol says. "CJ and I had some spin strategy sessions over the years and there were times we were really concerned about the optics."

I take another bite and contemplate that for a minute. It was such a weird thing. We weren't the main focus of the administration but from the sound of it we provided more gossip than we were aware of. How did all these people think that they knew what we were thinking, when honestly there were times I wasn't sure myself how I felt.

"So" Bonnie says "tell us what happened. You were pretty pissed at Josh when you quit."

"Well, I needed to not be his assistant any more. It was a barrier between us. Just too many things we couldn't say while I was his direct subordinate. We finally had those conversations."

"You are too polite," Ginger says. "What you mean is you finally screwed."

I ignore her. Sometimes her crassness is cute and sometimes its just rude.

"We needed to be apart to see how much we really missed each other and in what capacity. We realized that we can both do our jobs without each other but we can't live without each other."

I pull the album out and lay it on the table. And then I open it to my favorite picture and look pointedly at Ginger.

"We didn't just screw. We got married."

Ginger, Carol and Bonnie gasp, while Margaret smirks and winks at me. I guess she is a better secret keeper than we ever knew.

"Oh my god!" Ginger exclaims "All the details! Right. now."

"Let's just say we got back to being friends on the campaign trial. The excitement and tension finally lead to our first romantic kiss then it took a couple more weeks for the sexual tension to explode and then a week later we eloped."

"You eloped after only a week?" Bonnie marvels.

"No" Carol says "they eloped after spending 9 years getting to know each other. This has to be the slowest spontaneous elopement ever."

I smile at her. Carol got it exactly right. It's nice to be understood.

"I want to hear about the sex!" Ginger whines.

I bush again. After all these years, Ginger should know I really don't kiss and tell. I've never said more about a date than it was good or bad. I look at her for a long minute then I say-

"It's good. Very good."


	21. Chapter 21

I spot Danny in a booth on the other side of the room at Hawk & Dove. I slide in across from him and grin. Danny waives the waitress over so I can order a well-done burger and a beer. Once she leaves Danny looks at me curiously.

"What'sup?"

We've been friends a while but we haven't done a one-on-one lunch since our college days. He's smart enough to know that this is probably not purely social.

"So Danny, do you remember four years ago?"

He scratches his beard and looks reflective. Finally he says "Thanksgiving four years ago. Can't say it really stands out to me."

"I do." I tell him. "It's the first time I realized that what I feel for Donna might be more than friendship."

Danny smiles at me, then says-

"I do remember a crazy cab ride not quite four years ago. I remember wondering how long it would take you to realize that you were in love with her."

"So what date did you take in the pool?"

Danny looks a bit sheepish. "So, you know about the pool, huh?"

"Yeah. What date did you pick?"

"Christmas 2002."

Danny has a methodical brain. He's been processing each piece of information. But he's not one to jump to conclusions without as much information as possible. So he asks me-

"Should I get a new date?"

I smile at him.

"No. It's too late. We went to Hawaii and eloped last week."

"Hey man. That's great. I'm so happy for the two of you."

"Thanks, man. So I could use some advice. Do we try to keep this low key and out of the press or make an announcement? Is this even newsworthy?"

Danny thinks for a minute.

"You know your political opponents better than I do. There are some that will use anything they can an try to spin something negative. They might try a 'more Bartlet Administration secrets' angle to try to impact the confirmations. I suppose they might even try to take you out of the game altogether.- Chief of Staff wields a lot of influence. You know Santos best- any danger of that working?"

"No. I don't think so." Matt Santos has not been completely predictable but I don't think he'd remove me over something like this.

"I suppose some might wait, hope it stays relatively quite then bring it up negatively later to try to distract the Santos Administration in its first 100 days. I'm sure you and Donna would rather have privacy but I think if you go public now with a nice article you'd overcome whatever negative anyone tries to spin presently and it would make any future negative spin very difficult. The holidays are coming up. People love feel good happy ending stories. The White House Press Corps loves Donna- several of them would be happy to write a feel good story. Who do you trust?"

"You."

Danny smiles gently at me.

"This isn't really my usual type of story but anything for you. Let's meet for dinner Monday. I'll work up something preliminary over the week and then you and Donna can fill in the blanks. I'll check with the lifestyle editors and see when we can fit it in. If the story breaks as news we'll run it sooner and you'll have less input."

I can live with that.

"Thanks Danny. Now fill me in about you & CJ."


	22. Chapter 22

As everyone gets up to head back to their desks, I touch Margaret's arm and silently ask her to hold back a minute. Then we walk together toward CJ's office.

"Thanks for not telling everyone we eloped. You really are a good friend."

"Hey we assistants need to stick together." But then she looks at me and smiles broadly. "But you aren't an assistant any more, are you?"

"No. Not really. I take it you know that I'm going to be Mrs. Santos' Chief of Staff?"

Margaret nods sagely.

"I know everything."

"Yes. You do." I've been having a thought for a little while and I'm not sure who to ask first, but the moment feels right.

"Margaret- I haven't made this suggestion to Josh yet, but if he asked you, would you consider staying on as Assistant to the Chief of Staff? I know you were planning on going back to Leo. But now, I think you and Josh need each other." Margaret gets a little misty at the mention of Leo's name. My eyes fill as well. Our vacation was a nice distraction but I can't believe he's gone.

Margaret pauses and thinks for a minute, gives her head two quick nods, then starts walking again..

"I'll do it. You're right. Josh is going to need me."

"Thanks Margaret. I'll let Josh know." I hope he's okay with this. I'm pretty sure that he'll agree. His job will be so much easier with an Assistant who already understands the work.

When we get back to Margaret's desk, CJ's door is closed so I ask

"Does CJ have time to see me?"

Margaret looks at the schedule.

"Yeah, it looks like she has a few minutes. She didn't have a lunch scheduled so she's probably eating at her desk right now." She raps on the door and walks in. I hear her say-

"Donna Moss Lyman to see you?" I smile to myself. It feels right that Margaret would be the first one to say my name professionally. Then I hear CJ shout

"Donna! Get in here! I hope you have pictures!"

As I walk into the office, Margaret walks out. She's already seen the photos and I think she senses that I need a little time alone with CJ. Our friendship is strange. In some ways mentor, in some ways girlfriend. Honestly, before Gaza, I idolized her almost as much as I did Josh. Actually maybe more. I saw more of Josh's faults and loved him anyway. But, because I didn't work closely with her, I didn't see as many of CJ's mistakes. I didn't do a great job of filtering her advice and figuring out what worked for me. After Gaza, I felt really confused about a lot of things. I didn't really look to CJ for advice after that but I've always cared what she thinks about me. Josh told me that CJ was happy for us but I'm still a little apprehensive about this meeting.

CJ meets me in the middle of the room and gives me a big hug. As we sit down on the couch to look at the album together, I find myself relaxed. I'm glad its my friend CJ that's here, not the professional woman that I sometimes feel like I have to impress.

CJ is genuinely smiling as she looks at the photos. And her running commentary is giving me warm fuzzies.

"Donna, you are gorgeous."

"Those flowers are amazing."

"Wow! Look at that necklace. Did Josh give that to you?"

"Aw, look at Josh's face. He's so happy. It makes me want to cry."

I look over at her and see that she actually is a little misty-eyed. There is a part of CJ that got buried under the COS job. I'm glad to see it's not lost. She finishes looking at the album and closes it with a sigh, then turns to me.

"You know that I really am happy for the two of you, right? I know I said you should move on from Josh, and I still think that professionally speaking I was right. But I shouldn't have given you advice about your relationship. I clearly didn't know what I was talking about."

"Thanks CJ. I won't lie. The conversation we had about me leaving Josh did change the course of my life. I took your advice to have a fling literally, but that's on me. And I can't say that it was a mistake because you never really know how things would turn out if one little thing was different. Maybe Josh and I would have got together sooner if Colin hadn't been in Germany, but maybe Matt Santos wouldn't be the President-elect. And maybe our relationship wouldn't be as strong as it is now because I might never have stopped being Josh's assistant. It's probably better to not play the "what-if" game. Josh and I are together now, that's what matters." I smile at her.

"And hey you didn't get stuck wearing some god-awful bridemaid's dress and having to plan a bachlorette party with my sister!"


	23. Chapter 23

I'm sitting at my desk thinking happy thoughts when I see Amy approaching. There go the happy thoughts. I'm not looking forward to this conversation. My relationship with Amy is hard to define. We were on again off again lovers, on again off again colleagues. Even in college I don't think we ever really qualified as friends.

The first time dating Amy I was still steadfastly denying to myself and everyone else that the things I was feeling for Donna were or even could be romantic. I wasn't clueless that Donna might have a bit of a crush on me but I was ignoring that too- figuring eventually she'd get over it. I was keeping Donna firmly in the mentor/friend box. And Amy did fascinate me. She presented enough of a challenge to distract me from Donna. The second time dating Amy was just a mistake. I was starting to get a clue about my feelings for Donna but I was scared to face them. Enscorcelled was a good word for how Amy affected me. A lot of people would agree that she's a witch. I'm pretty sure that Donna is one of them. Amy's arrived at my door and I brace myself.

"Hey J- there's a rumor going around that you and Donna eloped." She's got that weird gleam in her eye. I'm never quite sure what that means. She looks like a cat about to pounce on something. Whenever she gets that look I never know whether the pouncing is about to be playful or if the claws will be out. I never really did like cats all that much.

"Not so much a rumor as a fact." I respond.

"God! The Two of you! Why didn't you tell me that you were together when I was pushing Sara Petrao on you at Leo's funeral ?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do Josh. You are not a little boy. You are a grown-up, apparently married, man. Act like it and have an adult conversation with me!"

"Fine. I didn't tell you because I was completely overwhelmed by my life. I had just gotten a dark horse candidate elected- a man I very much believe in, but who doesn't operate in a way with which I am familiar. My mentor had just died and I finally started having sex with the love of my life. But I'm so emotionally constipated I didn't really know if it was just sex or if I had any hope of actually maintaining a relationship. And I wasn't even completely sure if she wanted a relationship. You of all people should know I'm not very good at this!"

Amy looks at me half bemused, half shocked.

"Well, maybe just maybe you're getting a little better at it. Can I tell you something Josh? I like you. You're actually a decent guy. I wanted to love you and I wanted you to love me back, but the whole time we were together, I knew there were two things that were more important than me- your work and Donna. I was o.k. with the work because I believe in your causes too. But the Donna thing I couldn't figure out. I _knew_ you weren't sleeping with her but she had your heart while I only had your body. I'm glad you finally got your head out of your ass. I am happy for you."

I don't know. I still can't read her well enough to know if she means it. I don't think Amy and I will ever really be friends. But I guess we can at least try to be civil to each other. So I say

"I hope the lumberjack makes you happy too."

She rolls her eyes at me and walks out the door.

I watch her go and thank god that Donna walked into my office in Manchester and hired herself because if she hadn't I could have ended up half of a power couple with Amy and absolutely nothing about that thought appeals to me at all anymore.


	24. Chapter 24

Around 5:30 Will stops by my desk and asks to see pictures. Josh told me that he might, and I'm glad that he did. After our little awkward exchange before the election, I haven't really talked to him.

"So," he says "like I said- you were talking about Josh. I'm glad that you guys finally realized it wasn't inappropriate."

"Yeah, well, you know sometimes its hard to tell how people will react."

"Really, I don't think anyone who spent more than 10 mintues in the West Wing would be shocked. I know that when I started working here I assumed that you too were already romantically involved."

"Really?"

"Geez, Donna, how many guys do you have throwing snowballs at your window and whisking you off to a ball?"

"Well- five."

"Touche."

"I guess we were mostly afraid of changing the dynamic. We worked together really well as best friends. Neither of us had a very good track record with romance."

"So why did you change the dynamic? Leaving him to come work for me couldn't have been easy. And it certainly didn't land me on his list of favorite people."

"It's hard to explain. The environment of the West Wing had changed. It wasn't bringing out the best in either of us anymore. And things can't stay the same forever. They have to change. I do have some regrets about how I handled leaving. But working with you was a good experience, Will. I hope will stay friends."

"Of course."

"So, now as a friend, I want to know more about this 'classified' relationship."


	25. Chapter 25

While Donna and Will are looking at the photo album I take a few minutes to call my Mother.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Joshua! My darling. How are you?" She sounds a little tentative. It's just been over a week since we saw her. I'm not one to call in on a regular basis.

"I am very good, Ima."

"Oh?" My Mother says softly, waiting for me to continue. It's been a long time since I called her "Ima" and the significance isn't lost on her. I fight the urge to tell her about Donna over the phone. My Mother is going to be over the moon. She's been telling me that Donna and I are meant to be together ever since Rosslyn. But Donna really wants to tell her in person.

"We'd like to come visit this weekend."

"We?" Nothing gets by my Mother. I'm sure she knows that I am referring to Donna. She certainly knows there is no one else in my life.

"Donna wants to come too. I know its last minute. Will you feed us?" There is nothing that a Jewish mother loves more than to feed her children. I am sending her a pretty clear message without actually spoiling the chance for Donna to tell her.

"Of course, my dear. What time will you be here?"

I've been checking out flights while talking to her. There is a one o'clock flight that should work.

"We'll be there around 4pm."

"Joshua? Everything is okay, right?

"Yes, Ima, everything is wonderful. I love you."

"I love you, too Joshua."


	26. Chapter 26

[Thursday]

I ring the bell and the door is instantly thrown open. Josh's Mom must have been waiting by the door for us. I'm barely in the room when she throws her arms around me and announces-

"Now, you will call me Mom!"

I glare at Josh.

"You told."

"No, I swear I didn't."

"Hush, hush." His Mother says, leading me to the living room. She sits on couch and I take a spot across from her. Josh sits next to me.

"My darlings," she smiles at us "I don't know exactly what is going on, but I just saw you last week. I suspected that perhaps you had finally acknowledged your feelings for each other. Now you are here together and you are both glowing. I assume that you have something to tell me. Please don't make me wait any longer."

I knew Josh's Mom would make me feel like part of the family. She has been telling me that I'm family for years. We probably actually talk more than she and Josh do. She always wanted me to call her by her first name but I never could. I'm looking forward to calling her Mom. But I'm still not sure how to tell her that we eloped. It sort of feels like we excluded her. What if she's hurt and upset that we didn't include her in the wedding?

I look over at Josh. I wanted to do this in person but I think he should be the one to actually tell his Mother. He moves over to her couch and takes her hand.

"Ima," he says softly "I'd like you to meet my wife."

"Oh Joshua! Donna! I am so happy." Her eyes fill with tears and she hugs Josh and whispers something in Hebrew. I look at Josh, but he shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head. Mom notices our confusion.

She looks between us and repeats it in English.

"Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occassion."

Mom holds her arms open and I happily move into them. She wraps me in love when she says "Daughter, welcome to the family."


	27. Chapter 27

As soon as we sit down to eat my Mother starts grilling us for details. I'm actually surprised that she let us wash up and put our things away first. But I guess after waiting 6 years she's learned a thing or two about patience.

"I knew you belonged together. Tell me. How did you finally figure it out for yourselves?"

Donna and I exchange a look between us. It's not that my Mother is a prude. I'm 44 years old. She knows that I've had sex. But it doesn't feel right to say that the sexual tension finally exploded between us. I don't really want to tell her that we had sex before actually deciding that we were a couple. Donna recognizes that I'm not sure where to start, so she begins the conversation.

"Well, you know I was pretty angry with him when I quit and things between us were kind of rough while we were working on opposite campaigns. I told you about that whole chicken fiasco."

"Wait. What do you mean you told her? You talked to my Mom during the campaign?"

"Yes."

"While you were working for Russell?"

"Yes." Donna gives me her 'I have a secret, smile.' And I look over at my Mother.

"My Daughter," Mom emphasizes the word, beaming at Donna, "has called me every week, without fail, for the last six years."

I am stunned. Neither of them has never told me this. No wonder my Mother has been steadfast in her belief that Donna and I belong together. She had insider information. I'm still wrapping my head around this little tibit as Donna goes on with the story.

"Well, you know things started to get better between us after I started working for the Santos campaign."

"Yes, but you said you were just friends again. Not that I believed you."

"Ma!" I interject.

"Joshua. I knew you weren't having sex. You were both way too frustrated for there to have been any sex."

Donna is blushing and I'm sure I'm turning red too.

"Election Day." I blurt out. I can't believe I just told my Mother the first time that Donna and I had sex. This is surreal.

"Oh! That makes sense!" My Mother smiles at us; Donna and I start giggling. It really does make sense. Now that the cat's out of the bag, I feel comfortable to continue the story.

"But then Leo . . ." I take a steadying breath. "I'm sure you are not surprised to learn that I wasn't coping well after the funeral. I went and visited Sam and he agreed to be my deputy, but he forced me to take a vacation first."

"Did he force you to take Donna? I'll have to thank him."

"No, that part was all my idea."

"So where did you go?"

"He took me to Hawaii!" Donna exclaims. She's still so excited to tell people that's where we went. Everytime she says it I'm so glad that I didn't pick a more practical place.

"Ah, a grand gesture," my mother pats my hand and smiles at me, "so much like your father."

"Did it take him as long to figure out he needed you in his life?"

"No dear. But it didn't take you that long to figure out that you needed Donna. It just took you a long time to figure out how you needed Donna."

"You're right. I knew I needed her but I took her for granted. I thought we could just continue on as things were until after the Administration. And I made the mistake of not telling her that I love her."

I lean over and kiss Donna and whisper 'I love you' to her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my Mother melt a little. Donna takes over telling the story.

"Once we got to Hawaii we figured out pretty fast that we wanted to be together forever. Once we figured it out we really didn't want to wait any longer than absolutely necessary to get married. I hope you don't mind that we eloped instead of waiting to have a big ceremony."

"Of course not- I just want the two of you to be happy. I don't care about appearances or ceremonies. Some grandchildren before I die would be nice, though. You know I'm not going to live forever, and you aren't getting any younger, Joshua."

"Ma!" I exclaim again. But Donna just laughs and gets up and hugs her and says-

"We do want a family. It may take a little while but we'll do our best."

"Well, feel free to work on it while you are here this weekend." My Mother responds.


	28. Chapter 28

I love Josh's mom. Who else can leave him gasping like a fish out of water? Well, besides me. I decide to give him an out.

"Josh, why don't you get the Wedding album while I clear the table?" He looks at his Mother for permission to get up. That's so sweet. I guess he has some manners buried in there after all. She nods at him and he sighs in relief and heads to our bedroom. I'm guessing he'll take a few minutes to recoup before he comes back out.

Mom joins me at the sink and we work quietly together for a few minutes. She's putting leftovers away while I rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher.

When we are done, she pours us each some coffee and we head back into the living room. Before we sit down she hugs me and says

"Thank you for being you. You are the best thing to happen to this family in 30 years. I really couldn't love you more if you were my own daughter."

My eyes fill with tears. This is the reason I've called Josh's Mom every week for the last six years. She always makes me feel good about myself. Her love has always felt unconditional even when there was no reason for it to be that way. I can't imagine my own Mother saying anything like that to me even though she loves me in her own way.

"I love you, Mom." I manage to whisper.


	29. Chapter 29

When I come back into the living room, my Mother and Donna are sitting on the couch laughing. I'm pretty sure that Donna just told her about the hula dance because I hear Mom say:

"Well I guess those ballet lessons didn't pay off."

I roll my eyes. I'm never going to live that down. I was 4. I wanted to do the same things as Joanie.

I hand Donna the Wedding book and sit in the armchair across from them. They put their heads together and start looking at the photos. The sight of them makes me feel very warm and cozy. I lean back and close my eyes.

I don't know if she thinks I'm asleep or not but when Donna starts to talk to my Mom it seems easier just to listen with my eyes shut. Donna sounds a little embarassed when she tells my Mom about the 4 week ultimatum that she gave me. She says that she just couldn't go back to an undefined relationship with me. She knew she loved me, and she thought I loved her, but that she just wasn't sure that I would ever be able to admit it. She tells Mom how she'd been excited that I'd invited her on vacation but that she was still nervous and uncertain about what it meant. Then she tells her about how I proposed on the plane. That the sincerity and simpleness of what I'd said had calmed all her fears; tells her how glad she was that the proposal wasn't a flashy production. Well, thank God I never hired that sky-writer.

"Look at his face." Mom whispers. I know exactly which picture she's looking at. It even moves me.

"I know." I can tell from Donna's voice that she's trying not to cry.

"You know I've dated over the years," she tells Mom. "I'd go out for dinner or drinks but the whole time I just wanted to get back to him. There were a couple of guys that reminded me of him- they had some small, sort of- I don't know- "Josh-ness," that got them a second or third date. But none of them ever measured up. None of them ever looked at me like he did. But in all that time, he never looked at me like this. If he had, I'd never would have gone out with anyone else."

"Of course not, dear. He couldn't look at you like this until you were his."

"I was always his. He just didn't know it."

I am undone. I open my eyes and meet hers. I will never take her for granted again.


	30. Chapter 30

[Friday Morning]

The smell of coffee wakes me up. I stretch and look over at the clock. Its after 8. Josh isn't next to me but that's not unexpected. I felt him get up awhile ago. He kissed me before he left. If we'd been home, I could have convinced him to stay in bed but I don't think either of us really wants to work on the babies our first morning in his Mother's condo.

After throwing on yoga pants, t-shirt and a sweater, I wander out to the kitchen. It must be the second pot of coffee brewing because Josh and Mom already each have a large mug in front of them. They are both sitting at the table with their heads buried in a newspaper. When I walk into the room, they both look up and smile at me. They have the same dimples. I hope our kids get those.

I get another kiss from Josh then go pour a cup of coffee. Josh goes back to reading the paper, but Mom is still watching me, so I throw her a wink to let her know that I'm about to have some fun with Josh.

"So do you have the Black Friday Ads there? We're going shopping, right Josh?"

He looks up, panic stricken. His Mom starts to laugh. Too bad. I could have kept the joke going a lot longer if she hadn't.

"Oh, you are bad." He says, getting up. "I'm going to have to punish you for that."

I try to circle the other way around the island but he catches me and starts tickling me as I laugh and squirm. Mom looks on bemused and very satisfied.

After a few minutes, Josh wraps his arms around me and says-

"You don't really want to go shopping, do you?" I can't resist the opportunity for a little more fun.

"Hey, you know I'm a girl on a budget. There are some great deals today."

Mom shoots Josh a look, her eyebrows raised in an unspoken question. There is no doubt where he gets his facial expressions.

"Later, Mom." He responds to whatever she was asking. I decide to let it go for now.

Mom announces that she's going to go get ready for the day and mentions that she has some friends coming over this afternoon for cards that she'd like us to meet.

Once his Mother leaves the room, Josh's hands make their way under my shirt and he starts tracing patterns along my sides, skimming closer and closer to my breasts. After a few minutes, we hear the shower start.

"So," Josh says in a husky voice, "wanna go work on those babies?" Guess I was wrong.


	31. Chapter 31

Donna and I are walking along the beach. It's not as warm as Hawaii but it's still nice. I've never been a sand between my toes kind of guy, but I've come to really enjoy spending time on the beach. I have no doubt that it's because Donna likes the beach and I like to be with Donna. Every few steps, Donna bends down and picks up a piece of beach glass or a shell for her collection.

"Better than shopping?" I ask.

She smiles at me, then asks-

"What did your Mom want you to tell me earlier?" She's so perceptive. I should never try to get anything by her. This isn't really a secret, but it is sort of an awkward conversation.

"It was your 'girl on a budget' comment. Mom doesn't want you to worry about money."

"Well, I'm not exactly worried, but the Hawaii trip had to be expensive, and now were flying to Florida and Wisconsin on the same credit card cycle." Donna's talking fast- which means she has been thinking about this, even if not actually worrying.

"You know my parents probably aren't going to give us any money towards the wedding. Things could be kind of tight for a while. I was thinking I could get my family's Christmas gifts on sale today and maybe I can find a dress for the Inauguration balls on clearance."

Over the years I've wondered how tight things were for Donna. Most of the requests for raises seemed like banter, but a few times there was an underlying note of desperation. Same with her girl on a budget joke. I bought her lunch whenever possible and the times I didn't, I didn't see her eat very much. On those occasions, I'd offer her a muffin, or something, claiming that I didn't like the flavor. I used to tease her about returning dresses until one time she'd said- "it's the dress or rent and I'd rather not be homeless." As if I would have ever let that happen. She's let me buy gifts for her a few times but I've been pretty careful not to be too extravagant. Of course, I'm fairly sure she has no idea what 'the Art and Artistry of Alpine Skiing' cost. Finally, I respond to her comments.

"Donna- Don't you realize that my family has money? There are generations of lawyers. My father was a partner in a major firm. I grew up in Westport, Connecticut. I went to Prep School, Harvard & Yale, for goodness sake."

"Well, I know you have more money than I do, but..."

"No, Donna" I interrupt her. "I don't have more money than you. We have enough money that you don't need to worry. The Wedding and trips are taken care of, when the time comes for a bigger house it won't be a problem, and of course the kids' educations will be covered."

Donna looks a little overwhelmed. So I pull her close and wrap her in my arms.

"I've never had a problem living off my salary. We actually own the whole Brownstone. Plus we are both about to get raises. We'll be able to live comfortably off our salaries. You don't need to scrimp and save to make ends meet. And you don't need to worry about the future. Even if we didn't have our jobs, I can take care of you. I want to take care of you. I've barely restrained myself from showering you with gifts all these years."

"I don't need to be showered with gifts, Josh. I just need you." Well, I'm not making any promises not to buy gifts, but that discussion can wait until later.

"O.k. but no more returning dresses! We don't need any felons in the family."


	32. Chapter 32

When we get back to the condo, there are three little old ladies sitting with Mom at the table, playing canasta. They are so cute. The all have bluish-white hair, nice dresses and jewelry to die for. As we walk into the room, Mom's grin lights up her whole face.

"Here they are now, my son and daughter." She announces. All the ladies twitter at us.

"It's so nice to meet you."

"We've heard so much about you."

"George is a republican."

At the same time three little old men stand up in the living room. I have to suppress an "awwww..." They are even cuter than the little old ladies that they seem to match up with.

"I voted for Vinick." One of them says. George, I presume. The other two walk over to Josh and look him over. They must have decided that he's acceptable because they stick out their hands to shake his.

"It's nice to meet you, young man. Sit down and talk with us."

Josh sits down.

"So, George, you're a Vinick supporter. You know I've met him several times."

"Really?"

"Yes and if you promise to keep it secret- I'll tell you something."

"What?"

"No, you have to promise first."

"Okay" George says, "I promise."

"President-Elect Santos is nominating Vinick as Secretary of State."

"Well, maybe this Sanots fellow is smarter than I thought. Tell me more about him." George says.

Josh settles back in a chair with a twinkle in his eye.

In the meantime the ladies have circled around me. They pat my arms and compliment my hair.

"Sylvia, she's too thin. Get her something to eat."

"Do you know how to play canasta?"

"They are going to make beautiful babies."

I look over at Josh and he shoots me a slow wink. I need to regain the upper-hand here.

"So ladies, would you like to see the Wedding pictures?"


	33. Chapter 33

As Mom sees her friends out, Donna & I flop down on a couch.

"That was exhausting."

"They were sweet."

I raise an eyebrow at her.

"They were. _Josh_ , they are your Mom's friends."

"You're too skinny." I tease her, trying to mimic Edith's voice. "You should have some more pie."

She laughs but a cloud crosses her face.

"What?" I can tell something's bothering her.

"Pie and friends. It just makes me think of Toby."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I know you talked to him during the campaign. You visited him?"

"Yes."

"Are you guys on good terms again?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad. Friends are important."

"I can't believe he's going to prison. What's that going to do to Huck & Molly?"

"I don't know." She pauses for a minute. "I know it's bad timing but I'd like to tell him about us. I don't want him to hear it from someone else, or God forbid from the news. He needs to know he means more to us than that."

I take a deep breath. I've actually been struggling with this. I want to tell Toby too. But this really is a bad time. We don't need even a whiff of scandal during the Transition. It could destroy our first 100 days. On the other hand, it's a really bad time for Toby. I don't know if the negotiations are over but basically he knows he's going to prison- it's just a matter of what they'll give him in order to get a guilty plea. I want to be there for him. I am deeply conflicted over what to do. So I do what I do when I don't know what to do. I ask Donna.

"What do you think we should do?" I haven't actually shared my thoughts with Donna, but as always, she seems to understand the dilemma.

"As much as I'd like to see him, I just don't think we can. Could we call him?"

"okay." I hand her my phone.


	34. Chapter 34

"Yeah?" Toby answers abruptly. I'm sure he was expecting it to be Josh.

"Hi Toby. It's Donna. Donna Moss. Well, actually, it's Donna Moss Lyman now."

"What did you say?"

"It's Donna." I look over at Josh for help. Does Toby really not remember me? But Josh just smirks at me. Have I forgotten that Toby isn't the easiest guy in the world to talk to?

"Did you just say your last name is Lyman?!"

"uh, yeah?"

"Well it's about damn time."

I smile then. Toby has certainly has a way with words.

"Yeah."

"Donna," he asks softly "Are you happy?"

"Yes, Toby. I'm very happy."

"Well then, Mazel tov. Now put your dumpkiss of a husband on the phone."

I hand off the phone to Josh. I expect to hear some bantering, but Josh is pretty quiet. He says yes and of course, a few times. Then after a few minutes, he's wiping his eyes suspiciously. He ends the conversation with-

"We will. Toby, I promise."

I really wish I could have heard Toby's side of the conversation. I look at Josh expectantly.

"He said he knows that we will have an amazing marriage. He asked us to keep up a relationship with his kids so that they would have a good example."

I know that's not all he said, but it seems to be the important part to Josh.

"We will Josh. Let's go work on making some playmates for them."


	35. Chapter 35

[Saturday]

I wake up just before 6 and roll over to look at Donna. She's sleeping slightly on her side facing me. I never knew that watching her sleep would be one of my favorite things. The way the light from the window is hitting her hair makes it look like spun gold. I run a strand through my fingers. The sensation is marvelous and I wonder why I ever resisted the urge. My fingers gently trace her face and she wrinkles her nose adorably. If I left her alone she'd probably sleep another hour. Instead I run a finger lightly down her arm and watch goose bumps appear. She is so responsive to me, even in her sleep. There is a thin band of exposed skin between her t-shirt and the pair of boxes she wore to bed, so I run my finger gently across it and she sighs. I stop for a moment, really trying to decide whether to let her sleep in or continue. When I look at her face I see the beginning of a pout. Her eyes are still closed and her breathing is still even, so I'm not sure whether she's asleep or faking it. But I am going to have a good time figuring it out.

Eventually, she opens her eyes. "I should pretend to be asleep more often." Her voice is husky from trying not to make any noise. I smirk at her. She rolls out of bed and stretches. I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping for some reciprocation. She smirks back at me. "Why don't you join me in the shower and we'll see if you can keep from screaming."

It ends up being almost 9 before we join Mom in the kitchen, but we are fully dressed ready for the day.

"There you are! I thought you'd never get up." She looks pointedly at me and my eyes go wide. Did she just make a sex joke? Donna starts to giggle, but I just shake my head. I walk over to the counter and pour us some coffee.

"So," Mom smirks and winks at me, "What _else_ do you want to do today?" She really is incorrigible! So much for keeping it quiet. I've got to get Mom and Donna out of the house before I'm permanently red in the face.

"What about Clematis Street?" Mom suggests.

"Great idea, Mom." I look over at Donna.

"Mom took me there for dinner the first time I visited her after she moved here. It's a little historic downtown area with restaurants and shops. It's actually where I bought the book I gave you for Christmas that year. I think you'll really like it. The buildings are really interesting architecture and there are several quirky little stores. Maybe you can get a little Christmas shopping done after all."


	36. Chapter 36

We are strolling down the street enjoying the sun and breeze. Mom points out certain flowers and tells me their names. She's really happy to be in West Palm Beach and she has a great group of friends here, but she misses her garden in Westport. Josh smiles indulgently at her, but I know he wasn't thrilled when she sold the house. I'm sorry I'll never see where he grew up.

We stop at an antique store and I mention that I'd like to go in. Josh practically grimaces but agrees. I think this is a symptom of newlyweddedness- the desire to be together even though you don't really want to do something. Antique shopping with Josh's Mom is really fun. In the toy section, she points out toys that Josh had. I think she's mostly kidding, but its pretty funny that she's calling him an antique. He's only ten years older than me.

I find a scarf and a brooch that my Mother might like and I ask Mom what she thinks. She approves so I go ahead and get it. Mom's list suggested certain items for the kitchen, a choice of books or a scarf and gloves. It's generally a bad idea to deviate from the list but I might be okay since the word scarf is on there.

The next store is a used book store. Josh goes right in. This is more his cup of tea. As we are browsing, I suggest that maybe he could pick something for my Dad. He looks a little like a deer in the headlights for a minute. Then he whines, "Donna, I thought you were in charge of shopping." But I think was just a reflex, because a few minutes later he says- "Does he have any hobbies?"

Instantly, I realize my mistake. "He likes to golf." I say softly.

"Really?" Josh's voice gets a little high and his eyes light up.

"They both do."

"We could all golf together! We could fly them down and go somewhere in Virgina once the weather is nice. Your Dad just retired, right?" He's excited by the idea. This is exactly why I didn't tell him that my parents golf when we were in Hawaii. Now I have a dilemma- I don't want to hurt Josh's feelings but I need to reign him in a bit. It's not going to look good if we come in with some huge gift for my parents and blindside my siblings. And honestly, I have no desire to golf with my parents. But, he's bouncing on the balls of his feet and I just don't have the heart to tell him.

I swallow hard and try to smile. "Yeah. That's a really good idea. Why don't you look for some sort of golf book that we can put an envelope in?" I turn away and pretend to browse, but I don't feel much like shopping any more. Mom comes up and wraps an arm around my shoulder.

"Are you alright?" She has a concerned Mom look that is very comforting.

"Yes, but I'm starting to get a headache. Maybe we should take a lunch break?"

"Joshua!" She doesn't yell, but her voice is firm and carries through the store.

"Yes, Mom." We hear and suddenly he's before us. It's so cute how quickly he comes when she calls. He really is a good boy. She smiles at him gently.

"Donna has a headache."

He immediately looks concerned.

"I'm okay. It's just starting. I think I just need something to eat."

"Well then, let's go get lunch. I saw a pizza place up the street." He looks so hopeful that I quickly agree. I'm seriously considering sabatoging his golf idea. The least I can do is agree to pizza.


	37. Chapter 37

After lunch, I was happy to discover that Mom and Donna were both done with the sight-seeing and shopping. When we got back to the condo, I pulled out my laptop. I really do need to check my email. Donna and Mom are settled into the living room with books and coffee. It's a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

A couple hours later, Donna comes up behind me and starts rubbing my shoulders.

"Almost finished?" She asks.

Not really. There are so many positions to fill and so many resumes to read. It feels like Transition will last forever and we'll never get to start governing. But I look up into her face and realize this can wait. I have better things to do with my time now. I make a note on my legal pad so I know where to pick up later.

"This is a good stopping point." I stand up and stretch, my back cracking a little. Donna rubs it and I feel like purring. How did I get so lucky?

"What time is it anyway?" I ask without thinking, even as I look at my watch.

"Almost 4:30."

"Just about an hour until sunset. What do you think about a stroll on the beach?"

Donna smiles at me. Her tentative smile of a few weeks ago is gone. She smiles like a woman who knows she is loved and knows she is valued. It takes my breath away. I lean down and give her a long kiss.

Mom walks into the kitchen just as we pull apart.

"Don't stop on my account." She quips. I knew she'd be over the moon that Donna and I got together I just didn't expect her to be quite so vocal about it. I guess she held her peace plenty long enough.

I smile at her and give Donna another soft kiss.

"So Mom, we are thinking about a sunset stroll on the beach. Want to join us?"

"No, you kids go enjoy yourselves. Make some babies on the beach."

"Ma!"

She laughs and Donna rolls her eyes.

"I'll just get out the leftovers and start getting dinner ready while you're gone."

"Oh. I thought since it was our last night, I'd take my favorite ladies out to dinner." Plus I'm not really a big fan of leftovers.

"Fine then, I'll call for reservations."

When we get back from our walk, Mom is sitting in the living room reading. She calls out to us.

"Come in here darlings. I have something for you."

She hands Donna a small box. It's wrapped in shiny white paper and tied with a big bow. Donna's eyes light up. She says she doesn't need anything but she really does like to open presents. She takes her time, carefully untying the ribbon and gently unwrapping it. I roll my eyes. Come on! Just rip it open.

Once the box is open she pulls out a single tea cup. It looks vaguely familiar.

Donna looks at my Mom in confusion, but politely says "Thank you."

It's the family china, dear. I kept one teacup and saucer with me. The rest is in storage. I'll have it shipped to you. Donna wraps my Mom in a hug.

"Thank you so much. It's beautiful. I love it." I have no idea when we'll ever use china, but Donna seems truly happy to have it, so I'm thrilled. Then Donna says-

"But I want you to keep this cup and saucer. It will be nice knowing that you are using it too." Donna has such a big heart. She's just made my Mother's night without even trying.


	38. Chapter 38

[Sunday]

When Josh woke up, he kissed me and went out for a jog. He hasn't said anything about it, but I notice that he went jogging while I was still asleep a couple times last week too. I hope that he's getting back into the habit. Before the campaign, he used to jog regularly. I'm not very excited about him going out in the dark but the sun will be up soon and I'm sure this condo complex is safe. I'm glad he has a treadmill in the apartment. Even though Georgetown is pretty safe, I really don't want him running in the dark. I decide to get up too. If we are going to get back into good habits, I should do some yoga. The stretches really help my leg. Plus yoga on the beach at sunrise sounds like a great way to end a vacation.

I'm out on the patio just finishing when Josh runs up.

"Did you see the sunrise?" He asks. "It was magnificant."

"Yes. I did." I'm glad he's noticing such things. I really think he's at a new point in his life. I'm so glad I get to share it with him. It's been worth the wait. He grabs me and gives me a kiss.

"Ew. you're gross." I tell him with a smile.

"I guess you'd better join me in the shower and make sure I get all clean." He wiggles his eyebrows at me. He may be in his mid-forties but he's still got that boyish charm and apparently a teenager's sex drive. But hey, I'm okay with that. I'm in my mid-thirties and I'm just hitting my primetime.

When we walk into the kitchen together, the coffee's brewing and Mom is making breakfast.

"Pancakes?" Josh says happily.

"Yes. So you'd better be quick in the shower. No funny business." Well that's a first. She's been encouraging a lot of funny business this weekend. She must want to spend as much time with us as possible before we leave. Now I feel kind of bad that we have a noon flight.

While Josh is in the shower, I pack up our stuff. When he gets out, I tell him to go spend some time with his Mom. I'll be as quick as I can.

While I'm showering I can't help but think about how much my life has changed in the last three weeks. In some ways I feel like a whole new woman, although I know that really I'm not. But finally, getting to this place with Josh, and being able to announce it to our family and friends, I feel like I can conquer the world. I love Mom, but I'm ready to get back to DC and get started.

I head into the kitchen and find Josh and his Mom quietly talking. He leans over and kisses her cheek. And then she pats the side of his face. It's a sweet moment and I'm glad they had some time to themselves. I grab a cup of coffee and some pancakes.

"Thanks for breakfast, Mom."

"Any time, dear."

"You know," I say with a smile, "we are going to my parents for Christmas, but Hanukkah starts on the 15th. Maybe you could come visit us for part of it?"

Josh and Mom both smile at me.

"That sounds wonderful."

Josh goes and gets our luggage and brings it to the door, while I give Mom a big hug.

"Ready to go?" He asks.

"Yes. Yes I am."


End file.
